Agenda item

·  An update on domestic violence (locally) and the support available. 

·  An update on the support services available to residents living in council housing and housing association properties in the borough.

4.1  Cllr Patrick took the Chair and stated that there were two aspects to this item.  A briefing on the impact on Domestic Violence support services locally of the Covid 19 lockdown and a briefing from Housing Services providing an overview on how they are supporting residents across council, Registered Provider and Private Rented Sector housing.

4.2  Members’ gave consideration to the briefing papers in the agenda pack about the impact of Covid-19 on patterns of domestic abuse within the borough and information about the service responses for DV and ASB/Noise.  She welcomed for this item:

Detective Chief Superintendent Matthew Barnett, BCU Commander, Metropolitan Police Service

Cllr Caroline Selman, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Policy and the Voluntary Sector, LBH 

Sarah Wright (SW), Director of Children and Families, LBH

Cathal Ryan (CR), Service Manager for the Domestic Abuse Intervention Service, LBH

4.2  Cllr Selman thanked the Commission for focusing on these key concerns adding that home was not a safe place for many and increased pressures for those stuck indoors added to existing economic and social pressures.  The key focus was to reach victims in need of support and to ensure there was enough resilience to meet demand.  As well as the current increase in referrals they were expecting a further increase after the lockdown when more would feel more comfortable to report.

4.3  CR stated that there had been a 73% increase in high risk cases in Hackney during April as well as a 60% rise in reporting since 23 March.  Demand had been met by redeploying staff.  The team chaired fortnightly meetings with the statutory partners and third sector providers of domestic violence support services.  The focus was to look at all current barriers to access, to ensure they’re aware of difficulties, to ensure adequate risk assessments have been done and that all vulnerabilities in the system are met and ensuring the work between partners is joined up.  He described the social media campaign which is now running in various settings.  This was a key part of their 4-pronged approach to ensure key messages got out to the public.  The messages were: it is safe to leave the home; there is support out there; if you can’t leave safely there are ways to reduce risk.  They’d also worked to ensure Mutual Aid groups etc were able to identify and properly respond and there was a need to provide a raft of training to partner agencies in the community to ensure that victims were properly identified and supported.  He added that there remained sufficient capacity in the Refuge Providers across London and that they were fully staffed. They did however expect a surge as lockdown eased.

4.4  MB stated that these were difficult times but that the Met Police’s partnership working in the borough had been improved and strengthened.  They had not seen any rise in reporting of domestic violence to them however.  There had actually been a 10% reduction in cases compared with 23 March to 30 April 2019.  There had been a 15% reduction in reporting and a 19% reduction in arrest rates.  They were expecting a surge after lockdown and were working hard to increase confidence in reporting.  He stressed that there was no reduction in the police service capacity to respond to reporting or enforcement because of Covid 19 and if victims come forward they were in a position to do everything possible to help them seek justice and security.

4.5  SW stated that further to CRs update she could report that referrals to Children’s Service were up 10% compared with the same period last year.  Overall referrals in the service however were down 50% because they normally came via the schools.  She echoed MBs comments on the strength of local partnership working.  They had also increased capacity in the Domestic Violence service to respond to the increase in demand.

4.6  The Members then asked questions of the officers and stakeholders on the domestic violence briefings and the following key points were noted in the responses:

(a)  Chair commented that the rise in reporting to the Council’s DV service but not to the Police was significant. She added that she had not seen any of the posters referred to despite frequently walking around the borough and asked if the information on the council’s website could be presented more clearly.  She asked how the team was dealing with inter-generational violence and tackling the perception that the service was just for women and children and abuse within couples.  She asked if the current large capacity in Refuges was more of a sign of failure than success.

(b)  The Vice Chair asked to whom the updates referred to from the DV Partnership were sent.  She asked about whether the DV Protection  Orders would still be applied during Covid 19.

 (c)  CR replied that posters had been sent to parks, schools, Childrens’ Centres, the Homerton Hospital and while there had been a delay in authorisation for them going into pharmacies, this had now taken place and they would be displayed both in the public areas and in the consulting rooms of pharmacies.  Regarding the DV service website, he added that at the top of the page they had clearly demarcated a section on Covid 19 and how to contact the service during lockdown.  On intergenerational abuse, that was something they dealt with regularly and they got referrals from many sources including older adult children.  They worked with both perpetrators and victims and he urged anyone with concerns to contact them.  On Refuge capacity MOPAC had made 87 beds available across London via the three support agencies involved and there was still capacity.  These can be accessed via the VCS groups.  Plans were also being made to cope with an expected surge following lockdown.

(d)  MB stated from 23 March to the date of the meeting 74 DVPOs had been authorised and they were working closely with the CPS and the courts including the specialist DV Court.  Even if the court was closed they had procedures to have these issued and nothing in terms of support for DV had waned or stopped.

(e)  SW replied that two cohorts of social workers had been trained as part of the initiative they were running with Waltham Forest Council. The approach, adopted from the US, focused on working with the victim to support her as a mother and not hold her responsible for the partner’s behaviour but also working with fathers to hold them responsible for their behaviour as fathers.  They were looking closely at online training as part of this ongoing project.  The work was being evaluated by Stirling University and the feedback so far had been positive.  This represented an important change focused on keeping the children with the non-abusing partner.

(f)   Members asked whether there had been a drop in Emergency Department/A&E attendances due to Covid as it was often the first point of call for many victims of abuse. They also asked about supporting victims of non-physical harm. SW reiterated that if anyone contacted the council or partner agencies they would get support

(g)   The Chair thanked all officers for their briefings and repeated that she looked forward to seeing the posters and that the profile of support for intergenerational abuse be raised within the service so that the public know whom they can turn to.  She particularly thanked the Metropolitan Police for all their work during the lockdown.

4.7  Members gave consideration to the report from Housing Services and the Chair welcomed to the meeting:

Cllr Clayeon McKenzie, Cabinet Member for Housing Services 

Cllr Sem Moema, Mayoral Advisor Private Renting and Housing Affordability 

David Padfield (DP), Director of Housing Services

James Goddard (JG), Interim Director Housing Regeneration

Gilbert Stowe (GS), Housing Officer

Members also gave consideration to a slide presentation from the Cabinet Member.

4.8  In his briefing Cllr McKenzie highlighted that both managers and unions had implemented existing business continuity plans but these had not been up to the unprecedented scale of this crisis and so had to be quickly adapted and there had been great cross service co-operation within the Council.  Housing Officers had to respond within a service where the bulk of the staff had to work from home and there was a need to adapt policies and procedures, for example, temporary suspension of Section 20 Notices.  He also described the Let’s Talk Project which was key to supporting many residents and the need for face to face contacts to continue.  Emergency Repairs still had to take place and the Voids Team still arranged viewings because of the urgency involved.  The Residents Safety Team still had to do fire and safety inspections often with wary residents and the Grounds Maintenance Teams still kept green areas looking their best. Many TMO workers had volunteered to deliver food to those on the Shielding List and he read out some messages of gratitude which the TMO’s and tenants had received.  He added that many blue-jacket staff had been applauded by residents when delivering essential items and a true Hackney Spirit was in evidence.

4.9  DP gave further details on the service.  There had to be swift action to check vital services could be sustained.  70% of staff were still available at any one time.  They had switched to urgent only repairs service and for a period gas servicing had to be suspended because of the government guidance on entering people’s homes.  Access to properties had been an issue at times as people were reluctant to even let gas repairs services in.  Most of the capital work had also been suspended and they were in talks with contractors about how to re-start.  Housing Offices were closed and the frequency of inspections reduced.  Court actions and evictions had been suspended. Rent staff made visits to help people with repayments and there was help to older people re their post office payments.  Rent arrears had increased by more than £1m and 4000 telephone calls had to be made to the most vulnerable residents including leaseholders.  Those requiring shielding were directed to appropriate help and those just outside the guidelines but needing support also were assisted. The Residents Participation Team worked with those who were isolated and depressed.  The Voids Team kept their work going and regular communications to residents continued.  In relation to ASB there had been a significant increase during April.  Normally 260 cases but now 900 cases, a 370% increase during lockdown.  Drug use, verbal abuse and intimidation had also increased. The Council was using telephone and warning letters to these residents.  They also urged residents to use the ‘good neighbour’ app on their phones to record noise disturbance and they worked closely with enforcement and with legal to process the more serious cases.  They were also reviewing the ‘Good Neighbour Agreement’. 

4.10  Members asked questions of officers and the following points were noted:

(a)  Members thanked all in Housing Services for their efforts and commented that it had been humbling to see so many re-purpose their skills at this time of crisis. Members asked what financial support the government was making available so that the council could continue to pay contractors for capital works and how the service was ensuring that the investment made in housing stock in the lead-up wasn’t jeopardised.  DP replied that there was no government assistance for this.  They were implementing Cabinet Office guidance. He gave the example of one contractor sitting on a supply of very expensive fire doors which otherwise would have been fitted. They had put in place an order so that those doors belonged to the Council and its asset were protected in case the contractor went bankrupt in the interim.

(b)  Members asked how residents not on social media were being supported.  The Cabinet Member replied that they had extended the shielding list which had revealed a lot of new cases of those who were struggling with feeling alienated and isolated.  It had thrown a spotlight on those needing ongoing assistance however and there needed to be a degree of caution as there was a limit to what they could do with finite resources.  He provided assurance that these residents would not be forgotten.  GS added that there were 400 lonely and isolated tenants that they had identified a key subset of these were phoned on a frequent basis.  They were working with Adult Services on this and the VCS so that support could transition smoothly to the voluntary sector where it could continue on a more sustainable basis. 

4.11  The Chair stated that Housing Services were doing excellent work and asked officers about the support to those in private rented sector.

4.12  The Mayoral Advisor (Cllr Moema) stated that the issues she and the Interim Director of Housing Regeneration faced were similar to those outlined earlier.  They had welcomed that the Section 21 eviction notices has been paused for two months as this would delay many becoming statutorily homeless.  There was also much work going on in signposting.  Many in the private rented sector had never experienced applying for Universal Credit before so they had to help them to maintain their tenancies.  On another aspect there had been a massive drop off in the numbers coming forward to make complaints as these had often come via councillors surgeries.  The challenge was to separate out longstanding issues with those which were Covid-19 related. Another issue raised by an estate agent was around people moving in and out of properties when a short tenancy came to an end.  She added that there also needed to be changes in the ways in which Housing Associations were compelled to report and what they had to report. Overall a key issue would be the impact of Covid-19 on short term lets in the borough.

4.13  JG added that one of the challenges was around the reporting regime for Housing Associations.  They only had to report on 3 metrics (gas, fire, repairs) in the situation reports and, on others, only weekly by exception.  They had asked the main 16 housing associations in the borough a range of questions on voids, repairs, gas repairs, asbestos, ASB and 11 had replied.  Generally they had the same kind of issues as council providers such as lack of PPE for staff coming into personal contact.  A key focus has been on voids and the need to increase housing supply.  The Housing Associations had offered 74 voids (60 coming from the larger ones) and this was a lower figure than normal so they were analysing this data. The focus of the Housing Regeneration team, like others, was changing during the crisis and they were triangulating information received from a number of sources including councillors’ case work.

4.14  The Chair asked for a brief update on work in Private Rented Sector and the reports of a planned rent strike by residents in Somerford Grove.  JB replied that the dispute with the landlord didn’t directly affect the council.  The key issue went back to government guidance.  The Council expected landlords to meet certain minimum standards and the government guidance was often unclear.  The Mayoral Adviser added that they had offered assistance to the residents and had been very careful in the advice and support they gave but there had been different interpretations of the situation within that building.  While she was sympathetic to the plight of the residents, it would be remiss of the council to encourage anyone to stop paying their rent and it was important that all parties found a way to work through the issues. 

4.15  On the general issues in the private rented sector JG added that while case work had dropped significantly during lockdown they were expecting to be hit by a wall of complaints once things reopened, for example, on the issue of rough sleepers. 

4.16  The Chair commented that the concern was about the situation tenants would find themselves in in a few months’ time when they might be laid off work.  The Mayor Advisor agreed and stated that the situation in the private rented sector was the same as in social housing.  New cohorts of people across different industries – porters, cleaners, couriers were being hit.  The focus was to help them apply for Universal Credit so that when the furlough assistance was ended by the government Housing Needs might be better prepared to deal with the expected increase in cases.

4.17  The Chair stated that they had run out of time but thanked all for their input.